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[1.Local]: Belting it out

Reader comments -- ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week.

In last week's [1.Local], we snarked around a bit about the most common "mistaken identity" emails we receive on the WoW.com news and comments lines -- issues for a video game company, a cable company, an ISP and even a gym. "Looks like we just keep diversifying," observed Eddie Carrington. "I think the next business should we should get into is event planning."

Readers joshed good-naturedly about the idea -- and brought up a popular ongoing request. "Oh man, you guys are starting event planning now?" asked paul. "Finally, been looking for some guys good enough to help with my upcoming 18th. Does the package include Belt giving a speech? 'Cos that would be awesome. xD"

"Anything that includes Mr. Belt giving a speech is bound to be awesome," agreed MusedMoose with a *grin*.

Gentlemen, your wish has been granted: the rare spawn, Archmage Pants himself, made his WoW Insider Show debut this very weekend. If you missed Mr. Belt live on Saturday, keep an eye on WoW.com tomorrow and listen up.

Amaxe: One thing to be aware of with the slippery slope fallacy is that not all arguments which point to a chain of progression. @SaintStryfe -- I do agree with you that past events do not prove future things will happen, and these not-very-micro transactions do not mean we will be seeing epics sold on TV like the Slap Chop. However, when we do see a string of additions to the game "for a modest fee," one can reasonably ask where the line is going to be drawn. Will Blizzard show some restraint? Or will they act like loot whores? For example, with faction change and race change, it does not mean that class change *WILL* follow, of course. However, I am cynical, based on the fact that if these other changes are successful, class change could be considered lucrative as well.

It would be wrong to assume these bad things are inevitable (the slippery slope fallacy), true. It would also be wrong to assume that all concerns about the future based on past precedent would be a slippery slope argument.

The question is how ethical Blizzard is when it comes to these microtransactions. That they are a for-profit company is of course obvious. Will they eventually let the almighty dollar lead to the destruction of the game, or will they show some restraint? I'm dubious, but I hope I am wrong.

bishop78: Blizz is taking the RPG out of MMORPG. Although vanity items do not affect game play, they do effect the element of roleplaying. If I see another player with a sweet mount or companion, knowing that that person bought it with real-world cash from a website pulls me out of the game. This ruins the experience. Think of how you all feel when you see another player with that all coveted weapon with the .0001% drop rate from the final boss in any given raid. You feel envious and become more determined the achieve that goal -- you don't think, "Hey, when I get my next paycheck that baby is gonna be mine!"

Which leaves the worse taste in your mouth: in-game pets for sale for real money, or those who are so vocally expressing their dislike of the idea?

Boz: "People will always want mounts and non-combat pets. I could offer a repeatable quest to slap a handful of kittens and people would do it if I gave them a little pet for it. And they'd drop the kittens off a cliff for a mount." -- Tirion Fordring

Tier 10 preview -- kind of Plenty of readers got a guffaw out of Blizzard's mis-step updating the official Tier 10 preview page this week. (Blizzard initially posted the wrong paladin set -- whoops!) Still, at least the paladins had something to see; all that shamans had to admire in the screenshot gallery was a big, yellow question mark.

So while most readers were busy snarking it up about the pally set mis-post, one reader raised a quiet observation on behalf of the shaman class.

Edge: Hmm ... The shaman set is awfully skinny and yellow. Not very impressed, Blizzard.

Direct from his craneWe don't have any comments to share from this particular post. Instead, we'd like to point you toward a "visual comment," a gallery of pictures from WoW Insider Show listeners showing where they listen to the show. We'd never have imagined that our readers are following the show from some of these locations. Pretty darn cool, wouldn't you agree?